Blankets
by TheEquivalentExchanger
Summary: Blankets, and lots of them.


Winry Rockbell held the mug of coffee close to her body as she grimaced at the blizzard outside. She'd only seen a couple snowfalls this heavy in Resembool, and this time it was particularly bad. She'd been nestled on the couch for a while now, cowering from the cold under a heavy quilt and wearing the parka she'd bought a couple years ago, when she'd travelled up North.

Despite the rather miserable situation, Winry somehow managed to muster a grin at the thought of the adventure, the one time she'd actually been involved in Ed and Al's lives, as more than an automail engineer. Now that Ed was back home, it felt somewhat like it used to, when they were kids, but she could tell that Ed got lonely at times, without his brother around.

It'd been a year and a half since Alphonse had travelled to Xing to study Alchehestry, and Ed was still adjusting to the lack of his presence. Winry had been doing all she could to keep her beloved friend company, but she knew she could never replace his younger brother.

She sighed, tightening her grip around the cup and leaching it's warmth with her icy skin. It was late at night, and although Winry was feeling drowsy, her room was unfortunately one of the coldest in the house. She sneezed, groaning slightly at the scary thought of getting a cold. She'd had a lot of customers lately, their prosthetics breaking down in the harsh weather, and she'd pulled many all-nighters recently.

A few more minutes had passed, before Winry heard a slight shuffling sound from upstairs. The familiar footsteps made their way down the staircase, the comforting sound of metal and flesh making Winry smile quietly to herself. Edward hadn't seemed to noticed her yet, he'd wrapped his blanket over his shoulders tightly, his black fleecy pyjama pants peaking out from underneath it every time he took a step. Ed's hair was disheveled, hanging in his face in a way the Winry found adorable, and his eyes were squinting in the dim light of the living room.

She studied him as he slowly made his way into the kitchen, his quilt dragging over the hardwood floor behind him, and she could hear the kettle being turned on. Ed emerged from the kitchen, now more awake than before, and uttered a small cry of shock as he noticed his friend staring at him from the couch. Winry grinned, patting the cushion next to her and motioning for Ed to sit down.

The couch sank a little when he sat down, and Winry leaned slightly towards him, noticing the slight citrus scent that he'd given off since they'd met.

"What're you doing up?" He whispered quietly, a long pause weighing down before Winry answered with a slight shrug.

"Too cold." She replied simply, pulling the blanket higher around her neck.

Ed glanced over to her, noticing the dark circles that were displayed under her eyes, the red nose and the rather pale complexion of her cheeks. A little more concerned than before, Ed broke the silence again.

"How many all-nighters have you pulled lately?" He asked, his voice rising hoarsely.

Winry glanced away from him, her lower lip sticking out in a small pout. "Not many." She answered, shrinking into the couch away from Ed's disbelieving gaze.

She was obviously lying, and he could tell right away. A second later, his suspicions were confirmed when she sneezed.

"You're getting sick?" He implied, watching as her face distorted and her eyes flared as she whipped to face him.

"I am not!" She whispered loudly, pulling away before covering her mouth with her hand and coughing multiple times.

Ed pulled back from her, trying to give her some space. He wasn't a doctor, and he had no idea how to deal with a sick person. Especially when the sick person was Winry.

"U-Uh…" He stuttered stupidly, glancing around as if he would find a solution. "You should probably get to bed."

Winry glanced up, nodding slightly before attempting to stand. Edward watched as his friend took 2 tentative steps before staggering, and swaying dangerously off balance. He quickly rushed forward, slinging her left arm over his own, and grabbing the back of her knees with his other.

"You're such a hassle." He muttered, a warmth beginning to creep over his cheeks. Winry's breaths were getting heavier, and she nodded slightly into his shoulder. By that time, Ed knew she was really sick, otherwise she'd have gotten angry, and protested.

He slowly climbed the stairs, although his friend was extremely light, he didn't want to risk tripping and dropping her. He finally reached her door, swinging it open slightly before stepping over to her bed. He placed her body on the mattress, the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. As he was about to turn to leave, a slight tug on the collar of his shirt caused him to turn back. Winry still held onto the shirt, staring up at him with desperate eyes. He gulped, noticing how her arm shook with her rapid shivers.

"T-Too cold." She muttered, pulling Ed closer to her. The small heat in Ed's cheeks burned into a blazing fire, as he was pulled into the nook of her neck, leaning over the bed in the most uncomfortable position.

"W-Well, I guess we can switch rooms for tonight?" He uttered uncertainly, running through the periodic elements in his head before picking her up once more. She still hadn't let go of his shirt, and clung tightly to him as they made their way across the hall. The door was already open, and the room was dark. He padded over to his bed, tottering slightly so he wouldn't trip on something he'd left on the floor.

He placed her down on the white sheets, turning to leave once more before she yanked on his pyjama once again.

"It's still too cold!" She cried desperately. For some reason, the temperature had become a life or death situation to her, and Ed had never seen a more pained look on her face before now. Something inside him lurched, and he immediately threw his own quilt on top of her trembling body.

"I'll go get more!" Winry had finally released his shirt, allowing him to search for more blankets. 30 minutes later, all the cots in the house had been stripped of their quilts and duvets, and the young 20-year-old was buried under a heaping mountain of blankets, her head barely poking out from underneath. Tears had sprung in her eyes, and Ed stood above her, panting as his body ached for sleep.

"It's still…" Winry whined quietly, "Too cold…"

Ed had to physically restrain himself from screaming in frustration. There were no more blankets left to give, all the sheets had been given to her too. He'd also piled all the coats and sweaters on top of the pile. How was she still cold!?

"So cold…" Winry whispered to herself. "So cold…"

Edward gulped, his face burning with a sudden idea. There was still one more source of heat left to give. Hesitantly, he pulled at the sheets and managed to climb into the heaping hill, somehow finding Winry's body inside. Indeed, she was still shivering, and Ed wrapped his body around hers, allowing her to seep the heat from him.

His legs were entangled with hers, his arms wrapped around her upper torso as he held onto her iced hands. It took a while, but his friend finally stopped shivering, and he could hear her breaths getting heavier with sleep. Ed found his own eyes drooping, before drifting into sleep as well. The last thing he remembered that night was the sweet scent of Winry's hair drifting past his nose.

"What the hell?!"

Winry's cry startled Ed, causing him to jolt from his sleep, only to be pinned down by a heavy force.

"Ed, what the hell's going on?"

Ed shifted to look at his friend, who lay sprawled on her back, her arms by her side as she struggled to sit up. Edward burst into laughter, clutching his stomach beside her as he watched her eyes grow wide with surprise. He laughed until tears sprung at the corners of his eyes, before dying down into chuckles and stopping.

"What happened?" Winry pried once more, and Ed wiped the tears from his eyes before opening his mouth to answer.

"Well, last night, you-" Ed was interrupted suddenly by an immense sneeze bursting from his lips. He shut his mouth, realizing what this meant. He groaned to himself, mentally cursing for being so careless.

"What..?" Winry questioned, not understanding what was so bad about sneezing.

"I knew it." Ed whispered tiredly to himself, closing his eyes.

"Knew what?" Winry asked.

"Girls really do have cooties…"


End file.
